After Bill Belichick served a 24-year tenure with the New England Patriots, it could be one-and-done for Jerod Mayo.
During Sunday NFL Countdown, ESPN insider Adam Schefter added Mayo's name to his "likely out" category when discussing the futures of head coaches around the league ahead of the last Sunday slate of the 2024 regular season.
"All along the kraft family has wanted to stand by him and give him support. He was the hand-chosen successor to Bill Belichick, but over the last 30 days or so, the team has struggled, they've lost at home, fans have been are angered — they've been apathetic. And it feels like within the organization, there's been a shift. There's nervous people inside the building right now, and we're going to go leaning out right now for Jerod Mayo," Schefter said on the segment Sunday.
Nonetheless, cutting Mayo loose would still be nothing short of a surprising decision.
While no one anticipated the former linebacker to turn New England into an immediate contender, he took over for one of the most successful coaches of the modern era.
Belichick's departure left behind a significant rebuilding project after the team struggled and finished with a 13-loss season in 2023.
But some of Mayo's comments have raised question around football, starting with his words on the Patriots' quarterback situation earlier this season, referring to rookie Drake Maye as "our second-best quarterback on our roster" while the team was still labeling the starting quarterback job as an open competition.
Then, later in October, after falling to a six-game losing streak, he called his own players a "soft football team across the board."
As the season progressed, it became more and more evident that his comments suggested he might have been deflecting blame as the team's struggles persisted.
"Look, once those guys cross the white lines, there's nothing I can do for them," Mayo said following a Week 12 loss to the Miami Dolphins. "There's nothing any coach can do for them once they cross the white line. It's my job to continue to prepare not only them but our coaches to go out here and play better football."
There is one thing Mayo could have provided the organization: being bad enough to obtaining the first-overall pick in the draft. But winning when it's finally time to lose could ironically cap off a true train-wreck season in Foxborough.
If New England defeats a beta version of the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, the top selection will also be out the window.
More news: Browns Fire Offensive Coordinator Ken Dorsey, is a Rebuild Coming?
For more on the Giants, head to Newsweek Sports.
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